Russia urges international community to influence armed opposition in Syria

February 27, 2012, 18:55 UTC+3Russia urged the international community to influence the armed opposition in Syria in order to give the ICRC access to Homs

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MOSCOW, February 27 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia urged the international community to influence the armed opposition in Syria in order to give the ICRC access to Homs.

“Russian representatives, primarily our embassy in Damascus, are working actively with the Syrians in order to provide humanitarian aid to the population in Homs and observe a humanitarian pause that would allow for evacuation of the wounded, women and children including several foreign journalists from the Baba Amr neighbourhood and other places where fighting is taking place,” the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, February 26.

“At the same time, we have information indicating that these journalists are staying in the parts of Homs that are controlled by rebels. This is why we urge all those who have such possibilities to exert necessary influence on the armed opposition in order to give representatives of the Syrian Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross access to these parts of Homs,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the ICRC brought a new shipment of humanitarian aid to Syrian Homs.

The aid is intended for 12,000 people for one month, the ICRC Moscow Office said earlier in the day.

The same amount of aid was brought to Hama on January 17.

The ICRC expressed hope that its personnel would be able to reach the Baba Amr neighbourhood in Homes in order to evacuate the needy as well as provide necessary assistance, including food and medical equipment.

It was reported earlier that foreign journalists had rejected help from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Nevertheless, the ICRC Moscow Office said the organisation would continue assisting in the evacuation of those who need help, including journalists.

Negotiations are now underway between ICRC officials, the opposition and the Syrian authorities for the evacuation of Western reporters from Baba Amr.